A hallmark of rapidly proliferating tumor cells is increased lipogenesis, i.e. increased production of lipids. Although most normal cells acquire the bulk of their fatty acids from circulation, tumor cells synthesize more than 90% of their own required lipids. The perturbed lipogenesis regulation of cancer cells thus offers targets for the development of new cancer therapies.
The regulation of lipogenesis in relation to cancer is also of importance due to the link between obesity and cancer. For example, epidemiological studies have identified obesity as the most common risk factor for endometrial cancer. Obese women have a 2-4 times greater risk of developing endometrial cancer compared to women of normal weight. As the number of people affected by obesity is expectedly growing, particularly in developing countries, endometrial cancer will continue to be a serious public health problem.